Wow, is this a great question.
I've read the same things about the other F camera's mentioned. The F3 was
panned on introduction and now is probably the most tried and true camera
still on the market. Especially the "P" model. As far as the F5 goes, I
think Nikon let itself (and it's professionals) fall way behind on camera
technology. Canon released the EOS-1 shortly after the introduction of the
F4 and it was vastly superior in auto focus and ease of use departments.
What it lacked was backwards capatability with any "pro" FD lenses. By the
release of the EOS-1n (approx. '94), lens compatability wasn't an issue and
once again the camera was vastly superior, from a technological standpoint,
to the F4. Now don't get me wrong, the F4 is a great camera; I shoot with an
F4 almost daily. But when comparing an F4 and it's Canon counterpart, there
is NO comparison in the AF department. Even the EOS-1n gives the F5 a solid
run for it's money in the AF category. More and more pro's started switching
over to Canon, I believe, almost as a last resort, because Nikon was not
giving it's shooters what they wanted. Then comes the F5 and everyone
happily switches back. The F5 offered what the F4 didn't - AUTOFOCUS! Let's
face it, the color meter in the F5 is nifty and 8fps is cool but the
autofocus capabilities are why everyone buys the camera. The last time I
checked, my F4 still produced beautifully exposed images and 6fps ain't
nothing to shake a stick at. But if I'm at a high school basketball game in
a poorly lit gym (like I was last night) there is no question what camera
I'm going to use! So, is the F5 non-visionary? I don't think so. I think
Nikon just finally got it right the first time.
Also, I never was able to participate in the "F5 flaws" thread because of
holiday obligations but here are a few (very few!) gripes that I have with
my F5. First, is auto rewind like the Eos cameras and the F100. You wouldn't
believe how much time is saved when the camera automatically rewinds while
you dig around for another roll! Nikon should offer a firmware upgrade for
the F5 that offers the custom functions that have been rolled into the F100.
Another is having a command dial near the vertical trigger. Last, and this
isn't really a camera gripe, but I really need to get my hands on the new
AF-S 80-200! It's a bad joke to have to use the old style 80-200 on my F5
when I know the new version will blow it away but because of Nikon's foot
dragging I can't own one. I'm midway through basketball season and I'm
getting frustrated!
happy hoilidays,
____________________________________________________________________________
Bob Croslin
Staff Photographer, The Tampa Tribune
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://home1.gte.net/bcroslin/index.html
